Izuku Midoriya and the Philosopher's Stone
by oddly.compelled
Summary: Izuku Midoriya's lifelong dream is to go to Hogwarts and become as great an auror as his hero All Might. But there's one small catch: Izuku is a squib. Just when he thinks he is going to have to give up on his dreams, Izuku crosses paths with All Might himself in the most unlikely of situations. Little does he know that meeting All Might will literally change his life forever.
1. Chapter 1

**CHAPTER ONE**

 _All people are not created equal. I learned that at a young age._

My father is a wizard, and my mother is a witch. In the wizarding world, I am considered a "pureblood."

Katsuki Bakugou, a kid my age who lives in the same neighborhood, is also a pureblood. But there is one major difference between us: while he has shown signs of being a wizard ever since he was a year old, I, Izuku Midoriya, have never so much as shot a spark from my finger.

I could tell my mother was uneasy about it. I'm sure my father was, too, but I never saw him, so at least I didn't have to see the worrisome expression on his face every time I came back from a perfectly normal day at school.

We live in a neighborhood of witches and wizards in the town of Stowmarket. There are hundreds of communities of magical folk scattered all across England- as there are across other parts of the world. Everyone who lives here in the Flagship community is either a wizard or witch or is married to one. Some communities are strictly purebloods, but ours has always been open to half-bloods.

Anyway, out of every family in the entire Stowmarket community, I was the only one who had not shown any signs of being a wizard.

"Today, I got really angry at Mr. Kenworthy, and I accidentally made his coffee spill onto his lap from where I was sitting at my desk!" Katsuki would say to his Flagship friends, more like he was gloating about it than anything.

 _Today, I burnt my tongue on my chicken parmesan_ , I would think to myself.

"Then, this afternoon when I was practicing football, Isaac Tongs tried to steal the ball from me, but when he kicked at it, his foot passed right through it! He thinks he just missed, but I know it was me," Katsuki would say, pointing his thumb to his chest and grinning proudly.

 _Today, I missed the last step going down the stairs and fell on my face,_ I would think to myself.

But I only nodded, smiled, and praised Katsuki. It's what I had always done. Clear back when we went to Honeycombs Nursery together, Katsuki and I had been friends. I still have fragmented memories of talking excitedly to each other about Hogwarts and how one day we would go there together.

It was around when we were 6 years old that Katsuki noticed that I had not revealed any magical abilities yet. The other kids in our community had noticed, too. Within a couple weeks of our first year in primary school, I was completely alienated from the Flagship community kids.

At least once a day at Combs Ford Community Primary School, a strange occurrence would take place, and it was never because of me.

By the time we were 8 years old, we would walk home from school on our own. When school was out, I would trail behind Katsuki and the other kids to walk home. It only lasted for a week before I realized they wanted nothing to do with me. I occasionally tried to join their conversations and praise Katsuki and his abilities to already cast spells with his parents' wands. But they would never acknowledge me.

"I cast lumos yesterday!" Katsuki proclaimed one day. "Mom said it's extemely rare for kids my age to be able to cast a spell properly. I guess it's because I'm a prodigy."

"Wow!" I exclaimed. "You're amazing, Kacchan! When I get my wand, I want to learn how to cast lumos!"

Katsuki came to an abrupt stop. We all clumped together for a second then backed away from him. He had turned toward me, fixing me with an enraged look.

"You? _Get a wand?_ " he snarled. " _You'll_ never get a wand! You're just a _squib_."

The word struck me like a bolt of lightning. My mouth dropped open and my body stiffened. I watched as the group walked away, laughing and mocking me. I could do nothing but stare at Katsuki's back in horror.

 _A squib_.

The word echoed through my mind. I remember crying. I couldn't stop the tears from flooding down my cheeks. My heart throbbed and ached.

I began walking home from school alone after that, always keeping at least a block between me and Katsuki's group.

I never really had any good friends. I was friendly with some of the muggles at school, but I couldn't ever get very close to them. After all, how could I invite a muggle kid to come to my house when it's full of magical items that they are not allowed to see?

All through my 4 years at the muggle primary school, I was considered a loner.

Despite my lonely childhood, I was determined.

 _I AM going to be a wizard_ , I would mentally tell myself at least a dozen times a day.

After school, I would take up my mom's wand and spend hours outside, trying to, at the very least, make sparks fly out of its tip.

Nothing ever happened.

But I would keep trying. I never missed a day. I checked out books from the underground wizarding library on the way home. I read up on purebloods, trying to convince myself that I couldn't possibly be a squib. Most books said that only 1 in 100 pureblood children were squibs. I encouraged myself that I couldn't possibly be that 1 pureblood. However, every night, I found myself picturing what it would be like to watch owls scatter through Flagship and pass right by our house. I could just see the victorious expression Katsuki would have on his face when he received his Hogwarts letter.

" _What's the matter, Deku? You didn't get your letter?_ " he would say in his mocking tone. I could just hear the laughter. My mind echoed with it every night as I lay in bed. My eyes would sting with tears, but I would repeat to myself under my breath, " _I WILL be a wizard... I WILL be a wizard… I WILL be a wizard…"_

If I never became a wizard, then how could I possibly be like All Might?

All Might is the greatest wizard of this age. He is an auror for the Minister of Magic and is known by every witch and wizard all over the world. I've known about him ever since I can remember, and ever since I can remember, he has been my role model.

I would spend hours on end pretending to be All Might and shouting, "It's fine now. Why? Because I AM HERE!" It was the phrase All Might always shouted when he rescued wizards, witches, and even muggles from danger and threats.

I'm sure that thousands of kids have chosen All Might as their role model. But for me it's more than just looking up to him. Being like him is my dream, my _goal_. It's the one and only thing I strive to accomplish in my life. Every minute of every day, I think to myself _What would All Might do?_ I literally study his behavior, his way of talking, his battle methods, his ideals and opinions. I can quote from his interviews, I can tell you all the places he's been, I can tell you even minor details about him. I even keep a notebook full of notes about him and other aurors I aspire to be like. I have had the notebook for a year, and almost every page is packed full of notes and drawings. I am more than a fanboy. I am an aspiritive analyzer.

And that is why I refuse to accept that I have no magic. Without magic, the one and only dream I have ever had for my life is unachievable.

It is July 1. The last day of school. The day Hogwarts sends out their owls with letters inviting young witches and wizards to attend 7 years of wizarding school. It also happens to be the hottest day of the year. My thick, dark green hair sticks to the back of my neck as I walk from my mom's car to the school.

"Have a good day at school, Sweetie!" my mom yells out after me. My cheeks turn bright red when I see that Katsuki is watching me walk from my mom's car from where he stands near the school entrance.

My mom is always very enthusiastic and dotes on me a lot- but this morning it was on a whole different level. She woke me up with a kiss on the forehead, made me a stack of pancakes layered with caramel and chocolate chips (my favorite!) and kept on telling me how handsome I am and what a good student I am and how proud of me she is. As she drove me to school, she told me she was going to take me out to dinner tonight. I could only hum in reply; I knew what she was doing. She was trying to cheer me up and take my mind off the Hogwarts letter.

I knew in my heart that the letter wasn't coming. And I could tell my mom knew, too. Yet, she kept smiling, so so did I.

I forced a complacent expression over my face as I passed Katsuki. I avoided looking at him because I knew that he was staring at me.

When I reached my locker and went to pull it open, a hand came out of nowhere and slammed against it so that I could not open it.

"Morning, Deku." It was Katsuki.

"Good morning, Kacchan," I squeaked.

Katsuki was staring me dead in the eye, his expression stony, yet stormy. His eyes seemed to be boring through to my very soul. I gulped loudly. I always felt like a tiny, helpless mouse in his presence.

"I hope you're not still expecting a letter today," he said. His face was close to mine. He spoke in a low, somber tone so that no one else in the hallway could hear him.

I bit my lip and looked down at my shoes- but only for a second. A sudden burst of defiance rose within me. I looked up at Katsuki with a new fire in my chest.

I looked him straight in the eye. "Yeah, I am expecting a letter, Kacchan. I hope to see you at Hogwarts after summer break."

Katsuki's right eye twitched. I could see the rage burning in his pupils. But he let his hand drop away from my locker. He stuck his hand in his pocket, swung his backpack over his shoulder, shot me one last look of disgust, then slouched down the hallway.

My legs felt like jelly. I almost felt like sinking back against my locker, but there were too many people in the hallway. I swung open my locker, swapped out the things in my backpack I didn't need for the things in my locker I did need, then slammed it shut again. I kept one item clutched in my hands as I walked down the hall to my first class; my black notebook never left my side.

Our first class is Ancient Greek History. Mr. Foreman tends to go down many rabbit trails when he lectures; and today is no exception. He is talking about food products that are named after important figures in Ancient Greece when something catches my attention from the corner of my eye. I look out the window just in time to see an owl fly through an open window at a different part of the building. My breath catches in my throat. I find myself picturing a letter from Hogwarts lying neatly in my locker.

Then I make eye contact with Katsuki. He is sitting one row over and one seat forward from me, and he is leaning back in his seat as usual, looking at me over his shoulder. I am immediately certain that he saw the owl, too. I look away quickly and stare down at my notebook.

 _Please let it be for me_ , I think. _If it isn't for me, then PLEASE don't let it be Kacchan's_.

Then I realize what a horrible thing that is to think and that my mom had raised me better than that, and I hurriedly ask God for forgiveness.

When the bell rings, my heart drops to the floor. My legs suddenly feel like lead and I don't think I'm going to be able to walk. Instead, I stay in my seat, scribbling wildly in my notebook. I am drawing a picture of All Might, trying to calm myself. I am thinking maybe it'd be best if I just wait to hear from one of the other Stowmarket kids if the acceptance letter was theirs.

I was absent-mindedly mumbling my thoughts aloud as I often did. It had been a habit of mine for years. My mom often tried to break the habit, but it didn't do any good. I still murmured in class and often got in trouble for it.

Suddenly Kacchan is standing over me. His cronies, Crabbe and Goyle, are planted on either side of him, grinning stupidly. Kacchan is looking down his nose at me as usual, grimacing as if I were a piece of scum he had found on the bottom of his shoe.

"You need to stop kidding yourself, Deku," he snarled. "You'll only end up disappointing yourself."

I decided it best not to reply. I closed my notebook and made to stand up. However, it's difficult to stand up when a hand is shoving you in the opposite direction. As I fell back into my seat, I felt my notebook being yanked out of my grip.

"What the hell is this?" Katsuki asked derisively, flipping my notebook open to the centerfold.

"GIVE IT BACK!" I shouted. I realized just as I was yelling that I had never yelled at Katsuki before. I had always just stepped back and let him walk all over me. But now, this was my notebook, my most valued item.

Katsuki was flipping through the pages with one hand, holding the notebook up above his head and looking at it sideways. I suddenly noticed that in his other hand, he was twirling around a wand.

"Y-you," I stammered, tears suddenly flooding my eyes. "You're not allowed to have that at school."

"What, this?" Katsuki laughed, holding the wand up. His cronies looked at it in admiration. "I'm not a Hogwarts student yet, so I can use it whenever I want to, so long as there are no muggles present."

I was staring at my notebook, breathless and terrified.

"And," Katsuki said, looking over each of his shoulders with emphasis. "There doesn't seem to be any muggles present. So-"

His wand stabbed against my notebook, there was a little explosion like a firecracker, and the next thing I knew, the ball of flames that was my notebook was flying over my head and straight out the open window.

"NO!" I screamed. I leaned out the window just in time to see it fall into a puddle of water two stories down.

"Why don't you throw yourself out after it?" said Katsuki coolly. "Maybe you'll be a wizard in the next life."

Crabbe and Goyle were laughing dumbly. I shook with rage. I could easily say that I had never been this angry in my life. I wanted to hit him. I wanted to make Katsuki sorry for what he had done.

Instead, I turned around, face contorted with upset anger, and immediately sunk back down when I saw the terrible expression on Katsuki's own face.

"Quit kidding yourself," Katsuki snarled. "Just face the fact that you are a pathetic squib, and you'll never be anything more."

And he and his cronies left the classroom, leaving me alone to bury my face in my arms and let the tears soak the sleeves of my jacket.

My notebook was still in the puddle when I walked outside to get it when school was out. On my way down the hall, I had overheard Crabbe congratulating Katsuki on his Hogwarts letter. The thought that the owl I had seen fly through the window earlier was likely the one carrying Katsuki's letter made me feel a million times worse than I had a minute ago- which I had naively thought impossible.

A pigeon was pecking at a charred part of my notebook when I got to it. Even though I felt practically dead inside, I was able to muster enough anger to shout after the pigeon as it flew away.

 _This is great_. I thought to myself. _My dreams are now bird food_.

My notebook was in bad shape. The bottom pages that had been in the water were sopping wet. And on the front, I could see the spot where Katsuki had stabbed his wand into it and made an explosion. There was a large scorch mark that went clear through the first 20-somepages before it slowly dwindled down to a small brown spot.

My past 2 years of drawing, writing, planning, studying, recording… all of it was gone.

 _What would All Might do_?

The question surprised me. I was used to it surfacing in my mind when I was in tough spots. But right now, it was the last thing I wanted to think about.

 _I can't do what All Might would do. Because I am not a wizard_.

I stuffed the notebook into my backpack and made my way toward the street. I felt defeated. Broken. Alone.

I did not want to go home looking the way I did. I did not feel I could handle the heartbroken expression my mom would have on her face when I came home without a letter.

 _There are 8 hours left in the day_ , I thought. Maybe my owl was delayed. Maybe it took my letter home?

The idea filled me with hope. All the same, I was too scared to go home.

I reached into my backpack and pulled out my quill. It was not just any quill; my mom had gotten it for me so that I could send her messages. With it, I could write on any surface, and the words would be transmitted to the dry-erase board on my mom's fridge.

I knelt down and wrote on the sidewalk: "Hanging out. Be back by 6 - Izuku." Inky black trails showed where I scratched across the cement, but they disappeared quickly into thin air.

I stuck the quill back in my backpack and continued walking.

I just walked aimlessly. I had no destination in mind. I let my legs lead me.

Negative thoughts suffocated my mind. I myself felt breathless.

I thought about my lack of friends, my lack of magic, my lack of a Hogwarts letter. I thought about how Katsuki had practically told me to kill myself.

Then I thought about my dream. About All Might. About how confident I had been this morning. My legs started to ache, as did my head.

" _I'm going to be a wizard_ ," I whispered to myself, frowning down at the ground as I walked. A flicker of hope sparked in my chest. " _I AM going to be a wizard_ ," I muttered. "I AM going to be a wizard," I said aloud. The hope in my chest continued inflating. _All Might wouldn't give up on hope._

"I AM GOING TO BE A WIZARD!" I shouted. My words echoed. I looked up and realized I was standing at the mouth of a tunnel. Barriers had been placed on the road, barring cars from passing in. But the sidewalk was still dimly lit by yellow bulbs evenly placed alongside it.

I looked at my watch. 5:30 P.M. I had just walked for a whole hour without realizing it. I now had a half hour to get home.

Then I realized that I recognized the tunnel. If I passed through it, it would take me through the hill to the highway just a quarter of a mile from the Flagship community. I could be home in 20 minutes.

I gulped as I faced the shadows. The darkness made me nervous. But All Might wouldn't be scared, so I decided I wasn't scared. One foot went in front of the other until I was walking steadily into the dark. Soon the only light before me were the lamps, and since the bulbs were covered with cobwebs, spider webs and dust, it wasn't much of a light.

The daylight had just faded behind me when I heard a voice echoing ahead of me. I came to an abrupt stop. It was definitely coming from ahead, but all the lights were out. I squinted into the dark, but all my senses were screaming at me to turn around.

Then I heard a scuffling sound like someone dragging their feet. _THUMP. SKIIIIID. THUMP. SKIIIIID._ It was coming closer.

"Who's there?" a man's voice wheezed. Then a figure emerged from the shadows, limping toward me. I took a step backward as the light slowly flooded over the man's face. He was bent over and limping on one foot. His left foot was dragging behind him. When I saw the burnt, bloody patches on his face and down the arm he held to his side, my breath caught in my throat. I made an involuntary whimpering sound.

"Just what I needed," the man cackled. His greasy black hair was falling into his eyes, which sparkled madly. By his sallow face and gray skin, this man was malnourished. He was raggedy and unshaven; he resembled a rat more than he did a human.

 _I should run_ , I thought.

 _Nah, let's just stand here, frozen like a statue,_ my legs replied. _Maybe he'll go away._

But he didn't. Instead, he stumbled _Right. Toward. Me._ He suddenly raised his hand and pointed directly at me. I heard him muttering under his breath; it sounded like an incantation- and the second he started muttering it, I felt a sharp, excruciating pain shoot down my back and arms and legs. I tried to scream, but no sound came out.

I fell to all fours. My whole body was in pain. I could feel nothing aside from it. I knew tears were falling from my eyes and I was coughing up blood, but I could feel none of it through the pain.

Then came the voice.

 _Do not fight it_ , it said in a deep, booming voice. _You shall be my new vessel._

I could not breathe. I felt as if a flood of water were forcing its way down my throat into my chest. Somehow, I knew that once the cold sensation reached my fingers and toes, it would be all over…

 _You will make the perfect vessel_ , the oily voice oozed. _No one will suspect a schoolboy_.

 _NO! I DON'T WANT TO DIE!_ I screamed internally. _THIS CAN'T BE THE END!_

Then light. Brilliant, warm light. I felt the iciness in my body subsiding.

"It's fine now. Why?" a voice declared. It sounded muffled, distant. But there was something familiar about it. Then it was followed by: "FOR I AM HERE!"

All at once, my body was warm again. The pain subsided like a hand releasing me. I fell forward onto the cement, gasping for breath.

 _That phrase! That voice!_

Despite how weak and exhausted my body was, I managed to push my head up, just enough to look above me and see the figure standing above me, his cape billowing in a non-existent breeze, his two spears of golden hair sticking up like rabbit ears, his wand raised into the air like a torch….

" _All…. Might…._ " I managed to whisper.

Then I collapsed, and everything went black.


	2. Chapter 2

Someone was smacking me softly against the cheek. As I came gradually into consciousness, my eyelids glowed red. My eyes fluttered open, and I found myself staring directly into the face of-

"Hello there!" All Might said, a huge smile spread over his face. He had been the one tapping my cheek, and now he had his hand raised in a gesture of greeting. The sun was shining directly behind him, crowning him with golden light. "I thought I'd lost you there!"

I felt like screaming.

Instead, I made a squeaking sound similar to a newborn kitten.

"How are you feeling?" All Might asked.

 _Stunned. Starstruck. Dazed._ I had a thousand words that described how I was feeling right then. But all I could do in the moment was push myself up onto my elbows and gaze at my lifelong hero with my mouth agape.

"Well, other than a little aftermath trauma, you seem to be all right," All Might declared, reaching his hand out to pull me up.

My hand practically disappeared in his giant one. He lifted me up effortlessly.

 _I touched All Might's hand_.

"I'm sorry you got mixed up in this," All Might continued. At this point, he was practically conversing with himself. I then noticed the body lying on the ground beside me. I knew it was the man from earlier- but he looked… different. His skin was clearer and pinker, he looked a thousand times younger. His skin was still burnt and bloody, but his leg looked completely healed.

"Is he-" I stammered.

"Who, him? He'll be fine. I have a few healing spells up my sleeve," All Might's tone was like that of an announcer, just as is it was in all the interviews I had seen him in. "Poor guy was possessed by an inhabatus curse- real dark magic that is. But I have the cursor sealed away now." He held up a watch that was vibrating slightly while the hour and minute arms went crazy. "I had to think quickly. Luckily I've always got muggle watches on me- they're such fascinating inventions. Oh, hey, you're not a muggle, are you? I'd get into trouble for telling you this stuff if you are."

"N-no," I squeak. "I'm…"

I was about to say, " _I'm a wizard._ " But for some reason, the words stuck in my throat.

"Good! Well, I'd best be off," said All Might. He always stood so erect. He towered over me because he's more than 7 feet tall and towers over practically anyone, let alone a 5'5 boy like myself (and a chunk of that is hair). "I need to get this man some medical attention. The poor guy- he's just a muggle, and he got mixed up in all this body-possessing business."

"WAIT!" I suddenly exclaimed, leaping to my feet. I dug into the backpack directly beside me. " _Please sign my-!_ "

I had pulled out my scorched, wrinkly notebook from my backpack, and when it fell open to the centerfold I saw a signature scribbled across the entire 2 pages. _All Might_ followed by a star.

"YOU ALREADY DID," I wheezed. I instinctively bowed my head several times at him. "THANK YOU!"

I panicked. All Might had lifted the body with such ease he could have been lifting a pillow, and now he was making to leave. A broom shot out from nowhere and landed directly in All Might's extended hand.

 _He's leaving_ , I thought. _Just as quickly as he got here, he's going to vanish into the evening sky, and I'll never see him again._

But I had just too many questions to ask him. Too many things to say. I could not possibly let him go without…

Before I had even made a decision, I had swung my backpack onto my back and bolted forward. The next thing I knew, I was shooting into the air, my arms wrapped tightly around the back of a Nimbus 2000.

Now, let me just tell you from experience: If you have never ridden a broom in your life, it is _NOT_ a good idea for your first time to be when you are gripping onto the back for dear life as the one who is riding it is unaware he has a passenger. It is very uncomfortable, and rather terrifying. 1 out of 10, would not recommend.

" _WAAAAAIIIIIT!_ " I screamed. Or at least, that's what I tried to scream. With the wind blowing into my face, pulling my lips and eyelids back, I'm not really sure what sound came out of my mouth.

Whatever sound it was, it got All Might's attention. He looked over his shoulder, and I'm sure he got a rather unpleasant sight of my flailing face.

"What are you doing?" All Might inquired, and I could hear him perfectly. You see, each broom has a charm cast on it so that the rider is surrounded by an invisible bubble that protects them from wind, bugs and debris. Unfortunately, they did not cast the charm to also protect people who unpermitably hang onto the back of the broom. "That does not seem safe!"

" _PLEASE, I HAVE SO MUCH TO ASK YOU!_ " I shouted into the wind.

"Okay, but you need to let go of me first!" All Might said, sounding a bit annoyed.

" _BUT THEN I'LL DIIEEEE!_ " I reasoned.

"Oh, right," replied All Might.

I felt the broom dipping back down toward the ground. Soon, we were landing on top of a 4-story building downtown. All Might landed gracefully on his feet, while I crashed into the ground and probably crushed a few things in my backpack.

"I don't know what you were thinking," All Might remarked. "You could have been killed."

Well, that much was obvious, and I felt stupid for what I had done, but I was not ashamed for it.

"Well, the door over there will take you down," said All Might, turning back to his broom and the passed out muggle. I guess I noticed at that moment that All Might's voice was much croakier than usual. And when he coughed as he grabbed up his broom, it was certainly a bad-sounding cough. But at the moment, I was so absorbed in my own stupidity and what I wanted to say to the auror who had been my hero my whole life that I didn't really pay any heed to it.

"Please," I said quickly. I was lost for words. All my life, I had been dreaming of this moment and reciting what I would say to All Might if and when I met him. But now that he was standing before me, nothing came out. Then, before I even had time to register what I was saying, I vomited out the words: "CanIbeanaurorifIdon'thaveanymagic?"

All Might paused.

He turned around slowly.

He said nothing, which made me incredibly uncomfortable, so I found myself babbling on again, just trying to fill in the silence.

"I haven't shown any signs my whole life that I have any magic," I stammered, looking down at the ground. "My friends have all done things. But I- I'm practically just like the muggles. I've never shown any signs of magic. But my whole life, I've dreamed of being an auror- like y-you. So my question is"- now I looked up him with as much determination as I could muster and squeaked- " _can I be an auror even if I'm a squib?_ "

But All Might was no longer standing before me.

Instead, my eyes met eyes so sallowed they looked like black pits, out of which gleamed bright blue irises. They belonged to the lanky, skeletal man who now stood where All Might had been.

" _AAAAGGGHHH_!" I screamed, stepping backwards and tripping over my own feet. " _WHO ARE YOU?!_ "

The man sighed, quickly followed by a bloody cough. "I'm All Might."

" _What?_ " I gasped hysterically. " _No you aren't. What did you do with All Might?_ "

"I'm telling you, I _am_ All Might," said the man, rubbing his forehead. His voice was deep like All Might's, but it sounded exhausted and much softer. His hair was long and shaggy and had the exact same golden color as All Might's…

"Y-y-y-y-y-y-you?" I said, possibly making a world record on the longest stammer ever.

"Me," the supposed All Might nodded. "Now you've seen my true form."

"True form," I repeated zombie-like.

"This was supposed to be kept a secret," said the supposed All Might.

"A Secret," I repeated zombie-like.

"So, _please_ , don't tell anyone you saw me like this."

"Don't tell anyone," I repeated zombie-like.

"Uh, you all right?"

"You all right," I repeated zombie-like, then I snapped to attention. "Huh? I mean- no, I'm not all right. _You're All Might!_ And- y-y-y-you're _not_ All Might! I mean, you say you are, but h-h-h-h….. _HOW?_ "

The words came out of my mouth at a million miles per hour. All Might was staring at me wearily.

I guess since you've seen me transform, I have no choice but to explain it to you," he groaned, pressing his hand to his forehead in exasperation. "But you have to promise that you will speak of this to _no one_ , you hear me?"

I nodded. I was desperate to understand what was going on and why my childhood hero had come into my life just to transform into a sickly skeleton man right before my eyes.

"You see," All Might began, "as you probably already know, magic is much more than waving a wand and saying a magic word. If you know me well, you'll know that I in fact don't always use my wand. Every witch and wizard has magic flowing through them. Everyone has a limit to how much magic they can use for each spell, as well as in the span of an hour, a day, a month, or a year. However, I am the possessor of a tremendous power. With it, my levels of spells and charms are a hundred times higher than most wizards' and witches'. And my reserve of magic is a hundred times larger. For years I was unstoppable. But then… this happened."

All Might reached down and pulled the shirt beneath his cloak up. I looked at his stomach and immediately felt nauseous. A deep, marred scar covered practically his entire stomach. Whatever had created it… all I could think was that All Might was lucky to be alive.

I couldn't help but look away.

"The battle I won this wound in was the closest I have ever come to death," said All Might calmly, dropping his shirt back down. "It took a lot of power and energy to keep myself alive. And when it was all over, I looked like this. I can only remain in my other form- the form everyone recognizes me in and the form I am able to use my magic in- for a limited time. And that time keeps dwindling. In _this_ form, my body couldn't handle the excessive magic"

How do you respond when your hero tells you their biggest secret? I had no idea. I just stood there with a stupid look on my face.

"I know for a fact that if I were to go into a battle alone like this"- All Might gestured at himself- "I would be dead in seconds. So, no… I don't believe you can become an auror without magic."

I'd never felt so heart-broken. I could handle my mom's hopeless expressions. I could take Katsuki's taunts. I could handle the uncertainty and insecurity at night. But this…

"I'm sorry kid," said All Might, turning his back toward me. "It's just the fact of life. You'll find another passion in life.I'm afraid auror work just isn't possible for you."

I was back on my knees. All the energy had been sapped from my body.

I didn't even look up when All Might remounted his broom. I heard him speed off. And I was left on the top of the building, late for dinner with mom, all hope sapped from my body.

All Might had not even flown for a minute before he realized that something was missing.

 _The watch!_

He remembered sticking it into his pocket as he took off, knowing that if he put it around his wrist it might make him vulnerable to being possessed. Had it fallen when he had wrestled against that broccoli-head boy's weight?

Only a few things were for sure: the watch was missing, which meant the evil wizard who had possessed the muggle's body was also missing. And on top of all that mess, he, All Might, was all out of strength and altogether useless at the moment.

He looped back around to head back toward where he might have dropped it. He had to find it before someone else did…

 _What an idiot I am!_


End file.
